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E Pluribus Unum: 

This Divine 

Paradox 



Report of the Commission on the Future 
of the Smithsonian Institution 















































































E Pluribus Unum: 

This Divine 

Paradox 


Report of the 

Commission on the Future of the 


Smithsonian Institution 



^VKUIVS C. V . 










James Smithson 

( 1765 - 1829 ) 


Library of Congress 



2013 481786 









The Commission 



n three occasions in its 150 year history, the Board of Regents, the governing body of the 
Smithsonian, has commissioned a group of citizens to ponder the future of the Institution. The 
present Commission, established in September of 1993, was charged with: "...an examination of 


Members of the 
Commission on the 
Future of the 
Smithsonian 
Institution 


the Smithsonian, its mandate and its roles, and an examination of the cultural, societal, and technological factors that 
influence its capacity to act.” 

The last such commission was appointed in 1946. The men who served on it were all distinguished scholars 
reflecting the Smithsonian's emphasis at that time on research rather than education: in the words of James 
Smithsons legacy, the increase rather than the diffusion of knowledge. 

Our study has been a broad one, and our focus has been on the future rather than the issues that currently 
engage the Smithsonian. Yet, we have no reliable crystal ball. Our thoughts are constrained by past and 
contemporary experience and perceptions of the world. We are, however, certain that change will continue at ever 
increasing rates and in unexpected, no doubt surprising, w r ays. Still, as the Regents recognize, much can be gained 
by considering how the Smithsonian might evolve in the coming decades. So it is that we present to the Regents, in 


Barber B. Conable,Jr. 
Paul DiMaggio 
Sandra M. Faber 
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. 
Stephen Jay Gould 
Robert E. Grady 
Najeeb Halaby 
Neil Harris 
Irene Hirano 
Ruth S. Holmberg 
Roy M. Huhndorf 
Jorge Klor de Alva 
William H. Luers 
Michael A. Mares 
John S. Mayo 
Frank Press 
Wilbur Ross 
John C. Sawhill 
Lloyd G. Schermer 
Maxine F Singer 
Harold K. Skramstad, Jr. 
R. James Woolsey 


common interest with our fellow Americans, our thoughts on the future of the Smithsonian Institution. 




Maxine F Singer, Chairman 




Summary 



he Smithsonian is unique among our cultural organizations because it belongs to the nation itself. Its 


essential purpose remains that of educating Americans for their roles as citizens of our country and 


people of our planet. To that end the Institution must reaffirm its commitment to James Smithsons 


vision: “the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.” The Smithsonian’s ability to fulfill its purpose in the 


coming decades presents difficult new challenges because of the ongoing changes in our society and the limits, both 


To achieve the 
nation's 
expectations, 
the 

Smithsonian 
will require the 
sympathetic 
understanding 
and full 
support of the 
American 
people and the 
Congress. 


intellectual and financial, to what a single institution can accomplish. The future also holds opportunities that the 
Smithsonian should embrace if it is to reach out in new ways to more people, as it must. 

The Smithsonian cannot achieve the nations expectations by itself. It will require the sympathetic understanding 
and full support of the American people and the Congress. Full support does not, however, mean unrealistic growth 
in the Institutions resources. Thus, the Smithsonian must husband its resources and make tough decisions about its 
priorities. It will not be able to do everything we all want it to do. In the coming century, it must choose between 
established, even cherished, activities and new programs. It must use its resources as efficiently and effectively as 
possible. 


To prepare for the future, the following questions will require resolution in the near term. How can the gap 


between current activity levels and the financial support that can be expected in the next few years be resolved? What 


is an appropriate size for the Institution in program and facilities in the next decade or two? How can resources be 


found for investing in the technologies that are essential if new opportunities for expanded outreach to the American 
people are to be realized? 


To assist the Smithsonian in responding to these challenges, the Commission emphasizes the following 


initiatives. 


/ite&e tei 


TO EDUCATE MORE OF THE 

COLLECTIONS. RESEARCH, AND 

NATION'S PEOPLE 

EXHIBITIONS 

♦ Emphasize education both on the Mall and across 

♦ Shape a master plan for maintenance of the 

the country through electronic means, traveling and 

priceless collections, including the shanng of collections 

collaborative exhibitions, and public programs. 

through long-term or permanent loans to partner 

♦ Seize the opportunities provided by electronic 

institutions. 

communication and information technolog)- and make 

♦ Develop policies for future acquisitions. 

them a priority throughout the Institution. 

♦ Increase public exhibition space by moving many 

♦ Build collaborative partnerships with other 

collections to modem storage facilities. 

museums, research centers, and educational institutions 

♦ Concentrate future research on collections, areas of 

throughout the nation. 

excellence, and long-term global projects. 

♦ Develop approaches to collections, research. 

♦ Develop procedures for ngorous review and advice 

education, and exhibitions that will be inclusive of the 

on plans for major new- exhibitions to help ensure the 

diversity of the American people. 

quality and balance of the exhibitions as well as the 

♦ Apply the Smithsonian's unique resources to 

integrity of staff scholarship. 

enhance K-12 and adult education. 

♦ Establish priorities for renewing aging exhibitions. 

GOVERNANCE 

TO ASSURE THE FUTURE 

♦ Rebalance the relationships betw-een the central 

♦ Declare a moratorium on new 7 museum 

administration and the various Smithsonian 

construction unless the incremental funds needed for 

components. 

♦ Establish operating pnnciples for the Institution as 

construction and operations are assured. 

♦ Devote attention and resources to the rehabilitation 

a whole and then, with those pnnciples, encourage the 

and maintenance of existing facilities. 

autonomy of the individual museums and other 

♦ Improve quality and productivity by seeking relief 

Smithsonian components. 

♦ Establish a framew-ork for setting Institutional 

from federal personnel and procurement practices, by 

mdependent assessments of performance of senior 

pnorities, including regular meetings with the assembled 

leaders of the museums and other Smithsonian 

professional personnel, and by clarification of inter¬ 
relationships among the top echelon managerial 

components. 

♦ Reinvigorate the advisory boards to the museums 

positions. 

and other Smithsonian components to engage citizens 


from throughout the nation in Smithsonian activities. 

♦ Encourage greater participation by the Board of 


Regents in all Institutional affairs. 





Introduction 



Ihe Smithsonian Institution is the principal repository of our nations collective memory and the nations 


largest public cultural space. It is dedicated to preserving, understanding, and displaying the land we 


inhabit and the diversity and depth of American civilization in all of its timbres and color. It holds in 


common for all Americans that set of beliefs —in the form of artifacts—about our past that, taken together, comprise 
our collective history and symbolize the ideals to which we aspire as a polity. The Smithsonian—with its 140 million 
objects, 16 museums and galleries, the National Zoo, and 29 million annual visits—has been, for a century and a half, 
a place of wonder, a magical place where Americans are reminded how much w'e have in common. 

The story of America is the story of a plural nation. As epitomized by our nations motto, America is a composite of 
peoples. Our vast country was inhabited by various cultures long before the Pilgrims arrived. Slaves and immigrants built a 
new nation from “sea to shining sea,” across mountains, plains, deserts and great rivers, all rich in diverse climates, animals, 
and plants. One of the Smithsonian’s essential tasks is to make the history' of our country come alive for each new generation 
of American children. 


We cannot even imagine an “American” culture that is not multiple in its roots and in its branches. In a world fissured 




by differences of ethnicity and religion, we must all leant to live without the age-old dream of purity—whether of bloodlines 
or cultural inheritance—and leam to find comfort, solace, and even fulfillment in the rough magic of the cultural mix. And it 
is to the challenge to presen e and embody that marvelous mix—the mulu-vanous mosaic that is our history, culture, land, 
and the people who have made it—that the Smithsonian Institution, on the eve of the twenty-first century, must rededicate 
itself. It is uniquely poised to do so because it is the nations place. The nation's motto, e pluribiis unum, should also be the 
Smithsonian's. 


The Institution lines the sweeping green Mall that is, if not the geographical center of our nation, surely the physical 
manifestation of our national pnde and majesty At one end is the massive Capitol Building which houses the U.S. Congress. 
At the other, Abraham Lincoln's sadly benevolent visage looks on. In between are the Washington Monument, the White 
House, the National Gallery of Art, and many of the Smithsonian's museums. Because of the museums, the Mall is rarely 
empty Thousands of American and foreign visitors come to visit daily to leam, to enjoy, and to deepen their ties to our 
culture and to the institutions housed in the Capitol and the White House. For those working in these official institutions, the 
crowds on the Mall are an insistent daily reminder of the sources of power and the diversity of the people. 






Nation in Constant Flux . 

Todav. - a 

when Congress. having accepted a 
S500.000 bequest from the English scientist, James 
Smithson, established the Smithsonian as an 
institution 'for the increase and diffusion of 
knowledge among men." It is also enormously 
different from the post-World War II nation 
considered by the Smithsonian's Committee on Future 
Policies in 1946. That Committee had few intimations 
of the changes that would revolutionize our society. 

There are now fifty states, as well as the 
territories and the District of Columbia. The 
population of the United States has grown to more 
than 262 million. 

Enormous scientific advances, including new 
understandings in biology, astronomy, and the earth 
sciences, have vastly expanded the world of 
knowledge in the Institution's domain. All over the 
planet, the natural environment is under extreme 
pressure, resulting in the extinction of numerous plant 
and animal species and even in doubt about the 
ability of the human species to survive and flourish. 

Technolog)' has permanently altered the nation 
and the world. In the last fifty years, we have seen the 
development of fast and cheap transportation by auto 
and air, the advent of television, computers, and rapid 
communications, and the birth of the information 
highway. Sendees and high technology industries now 
predominate over the previously prevailing 
manufactunng sector of our economy. Change has 


been so rapid that it is still impossible to judge the 
depths of the influence of these developments on 
people and on the natural environment. 

Concomitant with technological changes, and 
interacting with them, have been enormous social and 
political changes. More of the nations people are 
educated through high school and college. World¬ 
wide movement of people in search of freedom and 
greater personal opportunity has brought ever greater 
ethnic and racial diversity to our shores. The 
principles won by the civil rights movement are, as a 
matter of justice and human rights, applicable to all. 
The nation is now more conscious of its component 
racial and ethnic groups. The women's movement for 
equality is bringing with it alterations in traditional 
patterns of family life and labor-force participation. 
These and other changes are accompanied by vigorous 
public debate. Increasing public participation by those 
with conservative religious traditions in various faiths 
has generated more intensive discourse about values 
and public morality. Increasing economic differences 
between the wealthier and the poorer segments of 
Amencan society are reflected in different views of 
national priorities. For an educational institution like 
the Smithsonian, such elements enrich the cultural 
environment and offer new opportunities. 

Interactions between nations and their peoples 
have also changed dramatically, to a large extent as a 
result of technolog)'. Our perspectives are necessarily 
informed by international considerations. Not only are 
people all over the world affected by American culture 
through modern communications, especially 


Change has 
been so rapid 
that it is still 
impossible to 
judge the depths 
of these 
developments 
on the people 
and on the 
natural 
environment. 


(Left) Giant sea turtle found in Kansas lived more than 75,000,000years ago, and is now in the “Life in the Ancient Seas” exhibition at 
the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. 
















television, but many foreign 
tourists visit our country and 
the Smithsonian. The 
revolutions in communication m 
and transportation have forever j 
invalidated thoughts of isolatioi 
from the rest of the world. 

The Smithsonian 

The vitality of our 
nation is greatly enhanced by 
thousands of public and 
private museums and other 
institutions whose common 
function is the increase and 
diffusion of knowledge. Some of 
these are small institutions, 
perhaps little known outside of a 
local area, often specializing in 
one aspect of society. Some are 
large and internationally famous. 

But the Smithsonian is distinctive 
as the nations cultural institution, 
with the word “culture” broadly 
defined to include history, art, 
science, technology, and the natural 
world. In a nation whose people arrived 
over centuries and still do from every place 
on our planet, bringing countless experiences 
and viewpoints, the Smithsonian must be 
concerned not only with our own unique history, 
civilization, and natural history, but also with that of 
many other places. At the same time, the Smithsonian 
must reflect our aspirations as a nation and even help 
shape and define a common interest. No matter how 
complex and paradoxical, e pluribus unum is our national 
vision. In the current political context, which tends to 
define American life as a collection of special interests, 
this is a formidable challenge but a more important 
imperative than ever before. 


The Smithsonian, along with 
other museums and scientific 
institutions, has responded to the 
changes in our nation and world. 
The 29 million annual visits by 
Americans and foreign tourists—an 
estimated 6 million children are 
among them—compare with just 4.5 
million when the Committee on 
Future Policies met in 1946. And 
these visitors find an 
extraordinarily broad array of 
exhibitions and experiences 
compared to what was available 
in 1946. The number of 
Smithsonian museums and 
research programs has grown, 
and some have spilled out 
beyond the Mall to other sites in 
Washington, D.C., to other cities, 
and even to other countries. 
(Throughout this report we use 
the term “museums” to indicate 
exhibition facilities; the National 
Zoo is always meant to be included.) 
More than 300 buildings belong to the 
Institution. The Smithsonian employs 
more than 6,700 people in hundreds of 
jobs: for example, scientists, carpenters, 
cleaners, art restorers, curators, gardeners, 
astronomers, shop clerks, computer specialists, 
historians, and jazz musicians. In addition, more than 
5,200 knowledgeable and dedicated volunteers welcome 
visitors, lead tours, conserve objects, and support 
research among a myriad of other tasks. 

The core activities. Museums have become 
important educational institutions and play an important 
role in stimulating interest in history, science, music, and 
art. The scholarly research conducted in museums is 
expected to inform and enhance the museums’ roles as 
public educators. Underlying all that visitors can see and 


(Above) Face mask of the Yaure Peoples, Cote d’Ivoire, used in theatrical performances during community celebrations. The delicate 
features and highly polished surface are characteristics of Yaure art. National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution. 


///<r 








learn at the Smithsonian are its vast collections and 
extensive research activities. These are the basis for all of 
the Institution's educational programs, regardless of 
whether the diffusion of knowledge is by traditional 
means or electronic communication. Collection items 
have grown from 18 million in the mid-1940s to more 
than 140 million today. With this wealth of material and 
knowledge, along with the importance of the United 
States on the world scene, the Institution has 
transcended its role as a national center to become a 
cultural and scientific institution for the world. 

The Institution also reaches out to those who might 
not readily come on their own—with programs for 
thousands of school children, with the monthly 
Smithsonian magazine that reaches 2.1 million readers, 
with the traveling exhibition program that bnngs the 
Institutions exhibitions to museums throughout the 
nation and around the world, with the Smithsonian Jazz 
Masterworks Orchestra that tours nationally and 
internationally, with the National Science Resources 
Center which works to improve science education in the 
nation's schools—and this scarcely begins to illustrate 
the extent of the Institution's outreach efforts. 

A local institution. Naturally, an institution of this 
size has an important impact on the cultural, 
educational, and economic fabric of the citv in wTiich it 

J 

resides. A large proportion of the Smithsonian's visitors 
are from Washington. D C. and the surrounding 
metropolitan area. The Institution serves the local 
population, especially its youth, through a number of 
exciting educational programs organized by the 
Smithsonian Associates. Nevertheless, neither the large 
African American nor the growing Latino communities 
residing in the city are as well represented among the 
\isitors as they might be. The Smithsonian's staff is well 
aware of this, and steps have been and are being taken to 
make the museums inviting, interesting, and relevant to 
those communities. In 1993 the Institution's local 
economic impact was estimated to be S6.7 billion, the 
aggregate of the salaries of its employees, contracts with 
local businesses, and money spent by tourists, which 


comprises 91 percent of the total. 

An international institution. As an international 
institution the Smithsonian welcomes scholars from 
around the world to use its collections w’hich are, in 
many fields, among the best anywhere. Young 
researchers, museum professionals, and conservation 
biologists from scores of countries are trained in modem 
methods in Smithsonian programs. For these foreign 
visitors, as well as the millions of foreign tourists, the 
Smithsonian provides a prodigious view' of the 
complexity, creativity, and grandeur of American culture 
and natural history that contrasts with the "Hollywood" 
image that so many of them acquire from movies and 
television. 

The Smithsonian is part of a vast international 
network of cultural and scientific institutions. To 
understand better the relationship of the Smithsonian to 
those institutions, several Commission members visited 
Canada, the United Kingdom, and France, and we drew’ 
on the familiarity of other members—as visitors or 
working scholars—with museums all over the world. 
Our nation can be proud of the Smithsonian's 
outstanding reputation abroad for its collections and 
exhibits, the quality of its research, its collaborative 
efforts with scholars in many countries, and its 
exemplar)’ training programs for young scholars and 
museum professionals. When cultural issues arise 
internationally, other countries 
engage the Smithsonian as the 
representative of the United 
States. This observation gave us 
an unexpected glimpse of one 
important Smithsonian function 
that would not otherwise have 
been apparent. 

The resources. As the 
Smithsonian has extended its 
reach and expanded its 
programs, its financial needs 
have increased. The 
Institution depends 


(Right) Iridescent Phoenician glass bottle of the Roman period (100 B.C.-300 A.D.) is on display 
in the “Origins of Western Culture ” exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History, 
Smithsonian Institution. 











on Congressional appropriations and its trust funds, 
including James Smithson's original bequest, for the 
bulk of its operating and capital budgets. But it has also 
turned increasingly to the private sector through fund¬ 
raising, the Associates program, retailing, product 
licensing, and the magazine. In this way, worthy and 
necessary initiatives, as well as ongoing programs, have 
been sustained. Nevertheless, financial resources are a 
limiting factor. New undertakings—from museums to 
exhibitions to caring for new collections or improving 
the condition of old collections—demand their share of 
resources. Maintenance and modernization of facilities 
is increasingly expensive. The Institution has already 
recognized that difficult choices must be made. 


A glimpse of the future. Just as our nation today 
is vastly different from the way it was in 1846 or 1946, 
so it will be different ten. thirty, and fifty decades from 
now. America is and always has been a nation at the 
forefront of change. Our history has been shaped by 
people who sought and created change. The diversity of 
our population, the pace of our technological 
development, and the energy generated by the 
opportunities available to our people, are unrivaled. 

The nation not only remains in flux; the pace of 
change is accelerating. The population is aging. The 
proportion of our citizens who are members of racial or 
ethnic minority groups wall increase in the decades 
ahead. As recently as 1990, they represented one in five 


What was the Smithsonian like in 1945? 


Research was the primary 
activity. It centered on the 
approximately 18 million items 
in the collec¬ 
tions and 
was carried out 
by the staff, colleagues in the 
academic community, and 
students. 

Two million people visited 



Freer Gallery of Art, and the 
Arts and Industries building 
with its displays of history, 
industry, and the applied arts. 
Behind the Castle, a 19th 
century wooden building 
housed the Smithsonian 
Astrophysical Observatory. 
Nearby a temporary metal 
building from World War I 


was the largest portion of the 
Institution's collections, 
together with laboratories and 
exhibitions on anthropology, 
biology, geology, and the fine 
arts. 

Another two-and-a-half 
million people visited the 
National Zoological Park in 
Rock Creek Park. Here, 



primary purposes 
were education 
and recreation while 
scientific research 
was a minor 
activity. 


(Right) Teddy bear that belonged to President Theodore Roose\ r elt is one of the 
originals made by the Ideal Toy Company in 1903 and named for him. Gift of 
Kermit Roosevelt. National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. 


the Smithsonian on the Mall. Its 
structures included the original 
red sandstone "Castle," the 


displayed aviation artifacts. 
Across the Mall in the 
National Museum building 


YYYY' 




Americans. According to Census Bureau projections, bv 
2050 about half the population will have origins :n 
those groups. 

Popular sensibilities and interests are evolving 
daily. Scientific understanding is deepening Important 
new artifacts accumulate. And the enhanced ability to 
communicate speeds the awareness of these and other 
changes, as well as the response to them. 

The Smithsonian's pnncipal future challenge is to 
reflect a rapidly changing society, to change itself, and. 
indeed, to be a strong contnbutor to the richness of that 
society while, at the same time, being the treasure o: its 
past. 

Flexibility will be one requirement for dealing with 


changing challenges and opportunities flexibility in 
programs, oudook. finance, administration, and 
governance. A sense of limits also will be required. 
Resources and facilities will not continually expand, nor 
is it necessarily desirable that they should. New. 
alternative ways to expand the reach of the Institution 
and reflect new developments can be exploited. The 
Smithsonian will be stronger and serve the nation most 
effectively if it strives continuously to collect, research, 
exhibit, teach, and bring to the nation the most 
significant elements of our culture, history, and science. 
The potenuai for excellence, too. must be a entenon in 
deciding what to do and what not to do. 


To reach people outside of 
Washington, the Smithsonian 
considered re-establishing its 
weekly national radio program, 
"The World is Yours," which 
had been curtailed by World 
War II, but that plan was not 
adopted. 

As the Board of Regents 
and the Committee on Future 
Policies pondered the 
Smithsonian's future, their 
main concerns were protecting 
opportunities for basic research 
and providing for the 
maintenance of the growing 



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Museum. Smithsonian Institution. 


public education and exhibition collecting, and reference 
functions of the Institution functions, 

were secondary to its research 




collections. For them, the 


















T he relationships among a great cultural 

institutions collections, research programs, 
exhibitions, and educational activities are, 
like everything else, in a state of rapid 
change. Among the challenges is understanding how 
to address the opportunity offered by each element of 
these core programs. Another is to devise a strategy for 
unifying activities among them so that their impact 
can be magnified. A third is to assure the public of the 
excellence of the Institutions efforts by thorough and 
unbiased assessment procedures. 

The Collections 

The Commission believes that the wondrous 
collections that have been amassed over the last 150 
years are central to all of the core activities and to the 
vitality and significance of the Smithsonian as perhaps 
the worlds premier organization of its type. Among 
the vast collections are irreplaceable icons of this 
nation and materials vital to the study of the worlds 
natural and cultural history. The scope, significance, 
uniqueness, and unparalleled quality of these holdings 
make it imperative to ensure that they be maintained 
in excellent condition at the highest level of 
preservation. They must also be readily accessible for 
future generations to use, enjoy, and study as past 
generations have done. It will require significant effort 
and cost to achieve such goals. 

The collections are not static. They will continue 
to grow' as time goes on, as the great events and 
discoveries of the future expand our nations history 


and accomplishments. In 1846, w'hen the Smithsonian 
was founded, few even imagined air and space flight, 
let alone a whole museum devoted to airplanes and 
the exploration of space. Nor would many have 
imagined the extraordinary' diversity of origins and 
cultures of Americans. In 1995 we cannot imagine 
what kinds of objects and cultures may become 
integral to our future. The “nations attic” was once 
expected to contain almost everything, bringing 
national and w’orld history' and the natural world 
together. Some collections were created systematically 
and self-consciously, w'hile others were gathered in a 
less organized fashion. Mall space is now limited, and 
the present facilities require extensive renovation if 
they are to continue to be safe places for both existing 
and new collections, as w'ell as for visitors and staff. 

A number of questions about collections arise 
from these considerations. Where should the 
Smithsonian keep them? What should the Institution 
collect in the future? Should storage facilities be 
separated from exhibition halls? Can collections be 
moved to other institutions outside Washington? Will 
such removal have an impact on the expectations of 
tourists, the planning of educational programs, the 
character of scholarly research, and the duties of 
curators? Will changes in physical facilities and their 
locations suggest definitional changes in what some 
Smithsonian staff do and where they work? Must 
greater attention be given to new' kinds of collections, 
ones that document the current state of American 
society? How’ can the Smithsonian best preserve the 
diversity and integrity of the irreplaceable sites that are 


The wondrous 
collections that 
have been 
amassed over 
the last 150 
years are 
central to all of 
the core 
activities and to 
the vitality and 
significance 
of the 

Smithsonian. 


(Left) Acquired in 1986, the Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr Folk An Collection of more than 925 objects has stimulated a lively program of 
collection, exhibition, and publication in this field at the Motional Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. 














part of its charge? And regardless of where and how they 
are maintained, where will the financial resources be 
found to keep the collections in good condition? 

One approach to these questions is to continue to 
construct new Smithsonian facilities in Washington or 
elsewhere. The Commission believes that this strategy is 



not feasible. There are alternative approaches. Since the 
Smithsonian’s founding in 1846, the number of 
museums, research centers, libraries, and archives 
throughout the country has grown by the thousands. 

The Institution already has and can expand its role with 
respect to these and future institutions as resource, 
collaborator, and catalyst. Its vast resources can be 
shared with a larger number of citizens if the Institution 
forms partnerships with selected institutions. This 
approach can help resolve some of the practical 
problems posed by growing collections, limited space for 
expansion, and the geographically constrained impact of 
the Mall location. The Commissions concept of 
partnerships is described more fully later in this report. 

A master plan for future collections management is 
essential. In establishing such a plan and setting the 


essential priorities, the following issues and strategies 
should be considered. 

■ Collections management, including storage, 
conservation, and cataloging could be functionally 
separated from research; this implies a division of 
responsibility between people concerned with 
collections care and those doing research and planning 
exhibitions. 

■ The present Mall buildings, even if renovated, 
cannot provide sufficient, high quality storage. The 
current plan to leave portions of the collections on the 
Mall while moving others to existing and planned off-site 
facilities is one approach. A disadvantage of this plan is 
that the curators would be scattered among different 
collection areas, which is not conducive to cooperative 
research. Moreover, by keeping extensive collections on 
the Mall, an opportunity to expand space for public 
programs is lost. An alternative would be to move all 
collections, curators, and research staff to expanded 
facilities at Suitland, Maryland, or similar locations 
where state-of-the-art storage and conservation is 
possible. This would permit the remodeling of the Mall 
buildings to house new and expanded exhibits and 
public programs. Computer links would provide visitors 
with information about the objects stored at Suitland 
and allow them to communicate with the research staff. 
While such a strategy would require an investment in 
new storage facilities, it would also ensure effective 
preservation of Americas greatest natural and cultural 
treasures and is likely to be cost-effective. 

■ Criteria and timetables that are flexible with respect 
to intellectual and financial considerations will be 
needed to guide selection of collections for growth, de¬ 
emphasis, or sharing with partner institutions by means 
of long-term or permanent loans. An important 
consideration is that the Smithsonian collections 
themselves should be inclusive, reflecting the changing 
diversity of the population. 


(Above) A scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama measures gas exchange between biosphere and geosphere 
from a MO foot tower emergingfrom the forest canopy on Barro Colorado Island. Data from the tropics are essential to refining models of 
global climate change. 








■ The Smithsonian should be a national and 
international leader in enhancing research on new 
methods for high quality collections care and 
conservation. 


■ The long-term quality of collections maintenance 
can be assured only by institution-wide processes for 
ongoing, independent assessment by outside experts, 
including scientists, collection conservators, collection 
managers, and museum educators. 


■ Collections catalogues, information related to the 
objects, and even images of the objects should be placed 
in computenzed databases. This will make the vast 
amount of matenal in the national collections accessible 
to people at museums throughout th country and the 
world The Institution should be the leader in 
establishing such a world-wide computer linkage. This 
may provide an opportunity to receive income in return 
for the availability and use of such databases. Ownership 
and marketing plans will have to be developed, issues 
that are largely uncharted and untested. 


■ Special considerations apply to the National 
Museum of Natural History collections and the living 
animals and plants at the National Zoo. The value of 
these collections is impossible to overestimate; they 
represent the largest available amount of information on 
past and present distnbutions of our country’s flora and 
fauna. It is impossible to predict the many w'ays in 
which they will be used in the future. As an example, the 
collections are now an invaluable source of DNA for 
characterizing many threatened and endangered species. 
Yet it was only in the mid-twentieth century, 100 years 
after the founding of the Smithsonian, that we came to 
understand that DNA is the fundamental genetic 
material of life. Now and for the future, the collections 
provide unparalleled resources for understanding and 
perhaps ameliorating the mass extinction of species and 
the possibly deleterious consequences for humanity. The 
Smithsonian, by virtue of its collections and long record 


of excellent 
research, can 
and indeed has the 
obligation to become a 
global leader in 
investigations relating to the 
conservation of the worlds 
biodiversity 

■ Other special considerations apply to the 
collections of w'orks of art and objects of historical 
interest. Here the objects themselves are often evocative 
and of symbolic significance to the public. People 
(especially the donors of objects) expect to find them, if 
not on display, then at least readily available. Centralized 
storage may w'ell be inappropriate in many such 


instances. 


Research 


Without research, objects and specimens are of 
little educational, cultural, or scientific significance. This 
does not mean, however, that the way research is 
organized and carried out must remain as it has been in 
the past. America now has many excellent research 
organizations. The Smithsonian should pursue certain 
distinct, even unique, research objectives by stressing 
three pertinent themes: (1) a focus on its unparalleled 
collections, (2) building on existing strengths such as 
centers of excellence that have the capacity to play 
leadership roles, and (3) projects that are global and 
long-term in scope. 

The elucidation of the objects in the collections 
must be a primary' responsibility and purpose of the 
Smithsonian. The profound connection between the 
Institutions collections and the scholarly research 
centered upon them is fundamental to the planning and 
development of exhibitions and educational materials 
(including those on electronic databases), be they about 
paintings, masks, airplanes, astronomy, or insects. As 
proven by both the internal logic of this case and the sad 


(Above) Bonny, a female orang, scampers along cables high above the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park. She is the first to use the new 
Orang Tr ansit System, also known as the 0 Line. 














An enormous 
boost to 
research at tbe 
Smithsonian 
would be 
provided if 
scholars were 
freed from 
current 

restrictions and 
permitted to 
compete with 
their peers at 
universities and 
other 

institutions for 
funding from 
federal 

agencies such 
as the National 
Science 
Foundation. 


experiences of others, institutions lose vitality and wither 
when collections are unused by excellent and zealous 
researchers. Unfortunately, this linkage is unappreciated 
by much of the public, including frequent and 
enthusiastic visitors; the very fact that the Smithsonian 
carries out a great deal of 
important research is 
unrecognized by many. 

In the natural sciences, 
collections-based research at 
its best is not (as in the 
stereotype) a restrictive 
application of arcane names 
to rocks or dead and partial 
biological specimens. Rather, 
such research is expansive, 
moving out from specimens to their functions, 
adaptations, ecological and environmental interactions, 
and human impacts. Collections, moreover, often 
provide the best opportunities for partnerships with 
other institutions throughout the world and with other 
scientists who may be able to study objects intensely and 
on site, but who do not have the temporal range or 
taxonomic scope that good collections can supply 
Modern telecommunications facilitate such collaborative 
research. While universities and medical centers are pre¬ 
eminent in experimental science, museums are 
appropriate central sites for systematic and taxonomic 
research, including publishing and training. The 
Smithsonian should be the world’s premier center for 
such research. 

Similarly, current collections and likely future 
acquisitions can provide a leadership role for the 
Smithsonian in studies of American culture, including 
popular culture. As one example of how existing 
strength in collections can stimulate research and 
education, consider American popular music and jazz. 
Here research leads to performance, recordings, and 
nation-wide tours by the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks 
Orchestra reproducing the sounds of the past. As 
another example of links between collections, research. 


and education, catalogues associated with specific 
exhibits are now a principal instrument for scholarly 
communication in several fields and also build highly 
significant bridges between the world of specialized 
scholarship and the general public. 

Assuring an excellent research 
staff. The originality, 
enthusiasm, and excellence of the 
research staff are the critical 
elements for the quality of 
research. How can excellence in 
research be best identified and 
rewarded? How can procedures 
for assessment, promotion, and 
termination, if necessary, be made 
more fair, systematic, inclusive, 
non-intrusive, and non-terrifying? Can ways be found to 
make the recruitment and retention or dismissal of 
research staff more responsive to excellence and change? 
Can the current rigidities of federal personnel practices 
be replaced by a more flexible system that better 
balances the interests of the Institution and the 
individual researchers, for example, by facilitating 
temporary appointments of scholars interested in 
particular collections? Closely tied to these personnel 
issues is the problem of how to initiate and pursue novel 
forms of research, including entirely new directions. We 
must also squarely face the obverse and often painful 
issue of how programs and people that have already 
realized their potential or failed in their tasks can be 
redirected or released. 

An enormous boost to research at the Smithsonian 
would be provided if scholars were freed from current 
restrictions and permitted to compete with their peers at 
universities and other institutions for funding from 
federal agencies such as the National Science 
Foundation. An important advantage of such a change is 
access to the independent evaluation of quality inherent 
in peer review processes. 

Setting priorities. Two classes of problems relating 
to collections and research should be faced head on: (1) 



(Above) This electronic image of the elliptical galaxy M-87, computer-enhanced to emphasize the jet of high-energy particles ejected by violent 
processes in the galaxy's core, was taken with a telescope at the Smithsonian's Whipple Observatory near Tucson, Anzona. 






the contingent, sometimes haphazard accretion and 
growth of the Smithsonian’s collections and research 
directions and (2) the bureaucratic strictures and often 
counter-productive, antiquated rules that are 
incompatible with research enterprises and affect all 
large, and in particular federal, institutions. Ultimately, 
difficult choices must be made about which collections 
to study, which research to do. What do visitors to the 
Smithsonian want to understand better? What do 
scholars at the Institution regard as the best projects? 
Which collections are most in need of the kind of study 
that will rationalize their existence? What is the proper 
balance between poles of excellence that might be 
described as coordinated-global and curmudgeonly- 
idiosyncratic, for both have made great contnbutions to 
human knowledge? Flow' shall these decisions be made? 

The Commission believes that decision-making 
must be an inclusive process that allows for 
consideration of the insights of the scholars wTio will 
carry out the research, external expert advisors, and 
those with broader view's of the Institutions 
responsibilities to the public. We offer several general 
pnnciples that could help in achieving the desired 
balance without compromising the originality and 
excellence of the researchers. 


position to undertake such a global approach. The 
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute is an 
outstanding example of such an effort. Broad strategies 
are also relevant in other Smithsonian areas such as, for 
example, the National Museum of American Art’s 
program to catalogue all of the outdoor sculpture in the 
United States. 

■ Foster growing awareness of the interdependence of 
the human population in all its size and diversity and 
the natural world, which, in turn, profoundly affects 
human behavior and aspirations. 

■ Recognize that excellent scholars are rare 
individuals wTio value their independence, and that the 
excellence of Smithsonian research ultimately depends 
on recruitment and retention of such people. Remember 
the lesson of history': inspired individuals, free to pursue 
unorthodox, personal hunches, often make the greatest 
discoveries and attain the deepest insights. 

■ Consider the Institution's role in public education 
and how research can address the needs and interests of 
the broader public. 


■ Focus on the unparalleled collections. 


■ Continue to support existing programs of 
acknowledged and active excellence. 

■ Take advantage of the Institutions unparalleled 
opportunities for linkage across disciplines among its 
owm branches and for ties with other research 
institutions throughout the world. 

■ Pursue large, often global projects involving 
hundreds of participants, large geographic areas, and 
long temporal durations. Much of what we need to 
know about the environment and ecology can be learned 
in no other w r ay, and few other institutions are in a 


Exhibitions 

There are many difficult 
issues that must be 
considered in planning, 
setting priorities, and 
assessing the impact of 
exhibitions. The Smith¬ 
sonian’s unparalleled 
collections place it in a 
unique position to provide 
focused experiences of 
authentic objects in 


(Right) Blue and white porcelain bottle from China’s Ming dynasty. The prosperity of the early 15th century 
allowed access to the imported cobalt that distinguished these forms created atjingdezhcn for court 
use. Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution. 





■ Provide abundant opportunities for training the 
scholars of the future. 




exhibitions that engage, challenge, and educate 
audiences. Besides being authentic, the exhibitions must 
be accurate, current, and of the highest quality. In an era 
of limited resources, careful planning for exhibitions is 
critical. We consider here some of the issues which 
present the greatest challenges for curators, exhibition 
teams, and the Smithsonian staff in general. 


and collections of the Institution to reach millions more 
people annually than will visit the Mall. Through fees 
collected from the institutions hosting SITES exhibitions 
and grants raised to support those exhibitions, the cost 
to the Smithsonian can be minimized. Expansion of the 
SITES program is a way to increase the reach of the 
Institution. 


...a museum's 
role in education 
is different from 
that of a school 
or university. 
Museums stress 
the education of 
the public at 
large... 



■ Exhibitions that travel internationally also should 
be encouraged. The 1994 exhibition developed by the 
National Museum of American History and the National 
Air and Space Museum for presentation in Tokyo, for 
example, provided information about the United States 
to a large audience. Such exhibitions counter the limited 
and often warped view of our country depicted 
through television, movies, and other 

commercial enterprises. Moreover, the 
Tokyo exhibition was fully funded by 
international sponsors and generated 
significant revenue through the sale of 
Smithsonian products. 

■ Museums in general, and 
the Smithsonian in 
particular, are increasingly 
Hash points in the debates 
that characterize our 
nations transition from a 
society that depends for 
coherence on a single accepted 
set of values and practices to one that 
derives its strength and unity from a 
deep tolerance of diversity. This 
happens because museums, to 
fulfill their missions, must prepare 
exhibitions that record and 
illuminate this transition. Museums 
have responded by providing a broad 
range of interpretive approaches to 
exhibitions and encouraging deeper 
examination and debate of issues. This 


■ The need for restoration, renewal, and expansion of 
exhibitions is acute. Investments in these activities and 
facilities should have high priority. Greater internal 
collaboration can link exhibitions in the humanities, 
sciences, and the arts. Innovative approaches to 
exhibition design and interpretive strategy should be 
encouraged and advanced technology incorporated to 
enhance the participation and experience of 
diverse audiences. 


■ With an increasing number of 
museums across the country, the 
Smithsonian should strive to use its 
resources to produce unique 
exhibitions that are not possible in 
other settings. Few other 
institutions can mount 
“block-buster” exhibitions 
that provide in-depth 
exploration of a particular 
topic, integrate knowledge and objects in 
history, art, and science, and consider 
cross-cultural issues. 


■ There is a need to bring 
Smithsonian exhibitions to a larger, 
nation-wide audience. The Smithsonian 
Traveling Exhibition Services (SITES) 
already makes Smithsonian 
exhibitions, as well as exhibitions 
developed by other museums, 
available to audiences outside of 
Washington, enabling the resources 


(Above) On the surface of the Moon during the mission of Apollo 17 in 1973, Astronaut Harrison Schmitt, whose image is reflected in the gold 
visor, photographed Astronaut Eugene A. Ceman, the mission Commander. 




/t/jeuA 


7'r 



sometimes results in acrimonious and contentious 
debate on controversial subjects. The Smithsonian has 
hardly been immune. Its position is especially 
challenging because it is a national institution with large 
and complex collections and missions. These challenges 
can be better understood by recognizing that the 
Smithsonian is an educational forum rather than a 
cultural or scientific authority or even a home for 
congratulations. 

The Commission suggests several ideas that may 
forge a more tranquil path, yet allow for a full and fair 
debate. A mechanism for broader and independent 
review of proposed exhibitions could be established. 
Such review would need to stnve for balance between 
constructive judgments and criticisms of an exhibition's 
content, and the desirable independence of the curators 
and scholars responsible for the exhibit. It is important 
in such a process to distinguish between the need to 
protect the intellectual freedom of those individuals in 
their own scholarly work and publication, and the 
public responsibilities of the Smithsonian in its 
exhibitions. Review groups should be constituted to 
assure the inclusion of various viewpoints. The advisory 
boards of the museums could be consulted; so, too, 
could a group of senior staff members recruited from 
throughout the Smithsonian. Smaller temporary 
exhibitions also provide more overall flexibility than do 
larger, permanent ones. 



debate in the museum world, this one concerning the 
relative values of object-based and experiential 
exhibitions. The vast, unique Smithsonian collections 
suggest that the Smithsonian should continue to 
emphasize exhibits based on original materials, that is, 
to give its audiences the “real thing,” enhanced by 
modern educational tools. 

■ Exhibitions are themselves one kind of product of 
scholarly research. This is illustrated by the fact that 
museum exhibitions are now routinely reviewed in 
scholarly journals. 


■ Like many museums nation-wide, the Smithsonian 
has been experimenting with exhibitions in which 
authentic objects play a minimal role. Rather, the 
exhibitions are designed to create an environment that 
provides a particular kind of experience for the visitor: a 
Native American village, an early 20th century house in 
Harlem, or the surface of Mars, for example. Such 
expenential exhibitions are often popular, presumably at 
least in part because of the way films and television have 
changed the way people expect to learn about realities 
other than their own. They are also the source of another 


Education 

Teaching, that is, making knowledge available, is a 
modem expression of James Smithsons concept of 
“diffusion of know-ledge.” Ultimately, the purpose of the 
collections, research, and exhibitions, is to educate. 
Without that purpose, the other core activities of the 
Smithsonian would be empty endeavors. But a museums 
role in education is different from that of a school or 
university Museums stress the informal education of the 
public at large, while universities primarily educate 
students who have committed themselves to formal 


(Above) Interpretive presentation at the southern tenant farmers shack in the exhibition “Field to Factory: Afro-American Migration 1915- 
199V” at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American Fhstory. 






nations future depends on major improvements in 
education and every institution in the nation must give 
the highest priority to this problem. Museums have 
unique potential for contributing to education. 

The potential is apparent in the magic of spring on 
the Mall. Daily, school buses are parked bumper to 
bumper, disgorging hundreds of children from the 
surrounding area. The airports, too, are full of classes 
arriving from all over the country, many to stay a whole 
week. Museum staffs and facilities are taxed to the limit. 
Other children visit year-round, accompanied by one or 
more parents. The Smithsonian experience that a child 
enjoys and remembers will last into adulthood. Some of 
these young people are better prepared for their visit by 
teachers or parents than are others and consequently 
benefit more from their encounters with national 
treasures and history. A challenge for the Institution is 
to design programs that will prepare children for this 
special experience. 

Not all of the nation’s school children will make a 
visit to the Mall. Other ways must be found to 
introduce them to the Institution. Some programs can, 
at the same time, instill a desire to visit, prepare young 
people for visits, and substitute in part for the real 


study. To inform their educational endeavors, both 
universities and museums must engage in research to 
increase knowledge and understanding. 

The Smithsonian must maintain education as a 
major priority and explore ways to expand its 
educational programs. The Commission believes that in 
the coming decades educational outreach to diverse 
elements in U.S. society must be a primary purpose for 
the Institution. This conclusion stems, in part, from the 
broad national recognition of severe deficiencies in the 
U.S. educational system, especially in grades K-12. A 
major threat to the country’s stability lies in the growing 
division between those who know and those who don’t 
know; it is at least as serious as the gap between the 
haves and the have nots. This is associated with an 
increasing separation between popular understanding 
and the advancement of specialized research. Our 


(Above) A young man considers an armadillo in the Discovery Room at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution 


/tape /sv///<?&/ 



thing. More specific suggestions for 
enhancing educational outreach for children 
and adults, including professionals, follow 

■ Electronic outreach to the public through 
television, videos, and the information highway 
should be promoted with the highest pnonty. 

These ideas are explored more fully later in 
this repon. 

■ To contribute to the improvement of 
K-12 education, the development of materials 
and programs such as CD-ROMs and 
videos that utilize object-based and 
inquiry-onented approaches for 
experiential/hands-on learning and 
address teaching problems identified by teacners 
should oe encouraged Such programs will foster 
independent inquiry, critical thinking, and analytical 
skills among students and can be carried out through 
linkages with other museums and educational 
institutions Materials that can be used in coni unction 
with curricular reforms being made with the 
establishment of nauonal standards m such fields as 
mathemancs. science, and history are especially 
important The National Science Resources Center is an 
ongoing example of such an approach and could be 
extended to other areas, such as Amencan history 

■ Systematically planned and expanded informal 
educanon through museum-based or museological 
collections and object-based learning in exhibitions 
must be established in all museums The Institution 
should take full advantage of studies m museum 
education to proride maximum learning opportunities 
through exhibition visits 

■ The Smithsonian should continue to encourage 
research scientists, curators, and other professiona: sub 
to work in Smithsonian-sponsored m-school education 
programs. 



■ F :»r enhance.: ez ucm mal pregra m s targeted : 
adults, both lay peop le and professionals. we suggest 
considering 1 museological programs, including 
college internships, designed for the educanon of 
museum professionals. (2) college and mmers&y 
| fellowships and grants for ir.derender: research :r 
Smithsonian collections and in collaboration with 
us research staff; 13' commned co mmi tment 
to adult rr: grams including nenoersmr- 
based metro pc'..car ran oral, and 
international stud', rrograms as wed as 
SmiLrsrrzun magazine, the Smiths:run Press, 
electronic media, and meraczve 
. .. . 

sponsorship of national and niemarcnal 
fomras such as conferences, semmars. and 
televised rr: grams for discussion, debate and 
validation of ideas and issues 

■ There is another • er special educational roe that 
the S miths onian could plav Pubhc discussions reveal 
that outside of the community of scholars arz curators. 
man y people do not understand how we come to know 
things about historc about other culmres. about 
objects, about the Earth, and about the Umverse 
Consequently, they question the substantial resources 
that museums devote to research both for practical 
reasons of popular support and the educational coal 
. • • 
mu to distingu'.sr between fact imerpretam r 
comeorure. and mperbole. the Insmun C"H htsTl'C 1 —Jl- seek 
to teach about the linkage between research 3ft tfi 
educanon Man mcreasm.:. overt and naira:.: rams 
:: maun: m • at-. - . 

exhibitions on the research of drmthsomar staff and an 
increased commitment bv researchers to explain 
publiciv and with clant'- me importance and exaiemenr 
of their work 


;V Umvcrsd Household Afiouscopf, manufactured about 1880byJ W Queen & Ca of FMadiiphui sMnmod the *sao«^c’ 
houschcfLkr to iA~nnfy oJuhcrated food products. It is dsplr.eJ m dv PSaeniv m Ammoor. _pe' neuron zc :v bmz.b>orura Nzocwu 




Museum of American History. 






















O ne way to address the changing face of 
America would be to build in 
Washington new museums dedicated to 
particular cultures, ethnic groups, or 
scientific and technical innovations. An imminent 
example is the National Museum of the American 
Indian. A National African American Museum has 
been proposed. We understand the desires of other 
communities to follow the same example. However, 
we believe that the Smithsonian must help build a 
common community rather than contribute to our 
nations fragmentation. Such a goal requires that the 
existing museums, all of them, be inclusive in their 
collections, education, research, and exhibition 
programs. 

In spite of the many competing ways in which 
people can spend their leisure time, museums will 
continue to attract large numbers. The authenticity of 
the collections and the grand and unique buildings all 
give museum visiting a ritualistic quality, affirming for 
people their own place in the great national and world 
communities. Still, the numbers and kinds of people 
visiting museums are likely to continue to change in 
the coming decades. And most people in America will 
never visit the Smithsonian buildings. To accomplish 
its national educational and scientific roles, the 
Smithsonian will have to reach beyond Washington, 
D.C. and make its presence felt throughout the 
country if it is to fulfill its role as a national 
institution. It will have to accomplish this goal within 
the limits of its financial resources, present and future. 
The Commission emphasizes two different ways 


by which this vision might be achieved and urges 
their serious consideration. One depends on new 
opportunities for electronic communication and the 
other depends on building a network of partnerships 
with institutions throughout the nation. 

The New Electronic Environment 

To build and sustain a relevance to a truly 
representative population of museum users, the 
Institution must seize the opportunities offered by 
new technologies to bring museums to those who 
cannot come to them. 

The information highway is perhaps the greatest 
tool for reaching out to the nation and represents a 
dramatic challenge to museums and to the research 
and education communities. Presently, we see through 
the Internet a glimmer of how this powerful and 
revolutionary tool will influence our culture, 
particularly through those who are now children. Yet 
it will be years before anyone can hope to understand 
where it is leading us. Nonetheless, the Smithsonian 
cannot wait; it cannot ignore the potential. Its people 
and programs must embrace the opportunities and, 
indeed, become leaders in their application to 
education and research. Although the Commission 
does not believe the information highway will be the 
panacea for the enormous educational needs of this 
country, it does believe that information technology 
will change the way people think about instruction, 
enlightenment, and leisure, as well as their experience 
and use of museums. 


To build and 
sustain a 
relevance to a 
truly 

representative 
population off 
museum users, 
the Institution 
must seize the 
opportunities 
offered by new 
technologies to 
bring museums 
to those who 
cannot come to 
them. 


(Left) Portrait of Willem de Kooning (1904- ) by Red Grooms (1937- ). Color lithograph on sculpted paper on Incite in plexiglass 
box. 119.4 x 83.8 x 22.2 cm. 1987. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. 


d/VY'/s//'/'// 












Reaching millions. Over the next decade 
electronic linkages will be made to schools, homes, and 
even pocket size mobile units; the price of service and 
equipment will decrease dramatically. Farsighted 
institutions will have the potential to provide millions of 
Americans and world-wide users with direct access to 
the images and research of the great museums. The 
educational tools that could and should flow from this 
revolutionary change will permit people, over their 
entire lifetimes, to explore multiple paths to learning 
and discovery in ways that were previously inaccessible 
even to the small, scholarly elite that traditionally 
employed museums’ objects and knowledge. The 
establishment of a TV network would facilitate the 
Institutions presence on the information highway 

Communicating a new way. Electronic imaging, 
the new communications, and education are linked in a 
highly promising but expensive future for the 
Smithsonian. Some entities within the Institution have 
already begun to computerize images and information 
and make them available on emerging elements of the 
information highway including, for example, America 
Online. The potential for future development will 
depend a great deal on financial assistance and 
encouragement from top organizational structures 
within the Smithsonian, as well as the now 
unpredictable shape that the highway will take. 
Assessment by Smithsonian leadership will be needed 
to determine which programs can be eliminated in 
order to undertake this 
new approach. 

Success also 
will depend 


on the ability of individual museum teams to assess and 
act on the high degree of variability in employee 
computer expertise, on how to organize the expertise 
and keep it current, and on how to find partners and 
resources outside the Smithsonian, in government 
agencies or in the private sector. Such connections will 
be necessary to design the programs, to digitize images, 
to prepare television programs and video tapes or CD- 
ROMs, and to recruit the most talented individuals for 
these enterprises. 

Experience throughout the nation and, indeed, in 
Canada and the U.K., as we learned, indicates that 
partnerships will be essential to engaging the necessary 
talent. Such partnerships should be based on cost- 
benefit tradeoffs with the Smithsonian having a fair 
share of the profits. This is a way to secure top talent 
which is generally disinclined to working in 
bureaucratic organizations and cannot be recruited to 
the regular Smithsonian staff. Nor would such recruiting 
be desirable, even if possible, because each of the 
enterprises will require different and evolving talents 
and expertise and for different periods of time. 

Object-based learning. In the last four decades 
people have become ever more accustomed to images, 
both moving and static. The opportunity now exists to 
begin programs based on images of objects as paths for 
learning and experience. Interactive media, combining 
multiple paths into an image with information about the 
image and its contexts, provides a completely new way 
of presenting history, science, and art in an 
associative manner. A space capsule, 


(Above) The 1948 Tucker automobile promised advanced engineering, safety features, and avant-garde styling that appears futuristic even 
today. Fifty-one prototypes were manufactured; the 39th is on display in the hall of Road Transportation at the Smithsonian’s National Museum 
of American Histoiy. 


fiaae e/y/Zer/ 









a Benin sculpture, or the body of a bald eagle can be 
explored as design, history, materials, and environment, 
allowing the viewer to select individualized paths to 
instruction. Institutions that have objects of great 
historical, scientific, or cultural 
significance wall be best 
positioned to design and create 
these new forms of education, 
thereby enormously enhancing 
the value of their images, 
knowledge, and creativity. 

In an increasingly visual 
media environment, there is 
really no more exciting 
possibility than that offered to 
the great museums. The 
Commission experienced some 
of this potential first-hand when visiting the Micro 
Gallery at the National Gallery of Art in London. Images 
of its collection of 8,000 works of art and a great deal of 
readily accessible background information are available 
on computers at the museum and for purchase on CD- 
ROM. 

Financial Considerations. The costs of 
developing the capacity and infrastructure required by 
the new tools are now almost prohibitive for institutions 
without either enormous resources or a strong profit 
motive. At present, commercial considerations are 
dictating much of what is being placed on the 
information highway. Items are often selected to ensure 
recovery’ of the very high production costs of television, 
video, and interactive CD-ROMs. Not-for-profit 
institutions like the Smithsonian will find it almost 
impossible to do what is needed unless they make deals 
with large commercial actors. The National Gallery’ of 
An in London, for example, achieved its wonderful 
electronic capabilities with the participation of 
Microsoft, Inc. and American Express. Such approaches 
can get the job started, but raise questions of equity for 
an Institution that belongs to the nation. Timing is 
another issue; rights to electronic images should be sold. 


but neither too early nor too late to get good value. 

Competing or augmenting? Many museum 
professionals hold that one of their major tasks is to 
understand and present to the public authentic objects 

in accurate and 
informative contexts. 

Some, especially younger 
staff, are at home on the 
information highway and 
consider it a powerful 
adjunct to traditional 
scholarly methods that will 
whet appetites for the real 
thing. Others are 
concerned that digitized 
images will reduce the 
desire to see and 
experience the authentic object in a museum. Yet 
another challenge is presented by many present day 
teachers; they are uncomfortable providing non-linear 
learning experiences for their students, preferring often 
to project in one direction. 

All of these view’s will need to be considered in 
evolving Smithsonian policy. It is not clear that the new 
ty’pe of teamwork necessary’ to produce this innovative 
programming will come easily Can scientists, art 
scholars, historians, and systems experts find ways to 
work together efficiently to produce stimulating and 
educational material for viewers? 

Intellectual property rights. Other thorny 
questions with respect to electronic media have to do 
with ownership of objects and knowledge. Among the 
issues at hand are traditional scholarly practices, 
museum policies, and serious legal matters. These issues 
are now' unclear, although exploiters and advanced 
travelers in this rapidly expanding new industry’ are 
seeking to lock up future rights to images. The 
Smithsonian will need to be careful. 

Other tough choices In making worthwhile 
investments in information technology, the Smithsonian 
must move thoughtfully and slowly although it is 



(Above) Ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” One of the most popular films of all time, this 1939 mo\ie also was one 
of the first to use technicolor National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. 




///s/f/r'f/t 








Drawing 
upon the 
Smithsonian's 
phenomenal 
symbolic 
capital and 
cooperation 
could help local 
institutions 
raise funds. At 
the same time, 
such an 
arrangement 
would help 
make the 
Smithsonian a 
full-fledged 
national 
institution. 


already behind. Efforts must 
be centralized sufficiently to 
avoid chaos, but decentralized 
enough to be nimble and take 
advantage of initiatives within 
the museums. There will be 
much to be gained if the 
Institution works 
cooperatively to set common 
technology standards with 
other museums and libraries 
in the federal system. 

Partnerships 

To create a cultural 
community as well as to 
celebrate, display, and study 
diversity, we believe that partnerships with institutions 
outside Washington should be established. The 
development of a few museum or research 
partnerships—for categories such as ethnic groups or 
disciplines such as art, science, or natural history— 
which would depend on local funding for virtually all 
programming and capital projects could demonstrate the 
feasibility, appropriateness, and effectiveness of this 
concept. 

This is a very different concept from that of 
building essentially Smithsonian outposts in different 
parts of the country; an idea that the Institution’s Board 
of Regents previously rejected. Our partnership proposal 
is consistent with an effort to make the Smithsonian less 
dependent on federal support. 

Partnership institutions would be truly local. Yet 
they could be profoundly assisted by obtaining from the 
Smithsonian expert advice, scholarly collaborations, and 
long-term or even permanent loans of relevant 
collections. Use of the Smithsonian name in exchange 
for a guarantee of standards of excellence—in 
exhibitions, scholarship, and conservation and storage of 
objects—established and agreed to by the Smithsonian 


and the local institution 
could be considered. 
Drawing upon the 
Smithsonian’s phenomenal 
symbolic capital and 
cooperation could help local 
institutions raise funds. At 
the same time, such an 
arrangement would help 
make the Smithsonian a full- 
fledged national institution 
and help develop a nation¬ 
wide base of support for 
programs and facilities in 
Washington, D.C. With such 
a partnership mechanism in 
place, the Smithsonian could 
responsibly resolve the 
paradox which exists due to the need for ethnic-based 
museums and the lack of space and audiences for these 
on the Mall. 

Partnerships could also address other challenges 
that wall face the Institution in the coming decades. They 
would be especially attractive if some federal funds were 
made available up front to cover transfer costs to local 
institutions and even provide some endowment for 
future operations; in the long term, the Smithsonian's 
financial requirements would be significantly 
diminished. A Smithsonian team could work with the 
Smithsonian National Board and the advisory boards of 
the museums to identify potential partners who could 
absorb local costs and sustain the programs. 

The Commission has discussed three types of 
partnerships. 

With museums. The formation of partnerships 
with existing or emerging museums throughout the 
country could make the Institution more reflective of 
our nation. It would also address the problem of storing, 
curating, studying, and exhibiting the constantly 
growing collections. By dispersing these in a responsible 
manner, public access and opportunities for their study 



(Above) In the Hands on History Room at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, students learn to pouird rice, a task 
common to many cultures. 


/tape fa w/y 



could be enhanced. Such partnerships also would help 
to ameliorate the lack of space and funds to build new 
museums on the Mall. Innovative partnerships can 
address these various issues in a manner that is fiscally 
responsible in an era of restricted financial resources. 

With research institutions. A second model for 
institutional partnerships is to be found in the 
enormously successful joint venture between the 
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Harvard 
College Observatory—the Center for .Astrophysics in 
Cambridge, Massachusetts. Not only is the Center for 
.Astrophysics one of the most important and successful 
institutions for astrophysical research and training in the 
world, but it also has developed innovative and far- 
reaching programs and materials for education of 
secondary school children. Over time, the costs of the 
programs have been shared in a variety of ways by the 
Smithsonian and Harvard. 

The Smithsonian should seriously consider the 
development of similar partnerships with other research 
institutions in other fields. Here again, collections that 
are redundant or incapable of being appropriately stored 
or studied because of financial, personnel, or space 
limitations might be advantageously loaned to the 
partner institution permanently or for limited time 
periods for specific teaching or research 


functions. We also envision exchanges of professional 
personnel and access by students from the partner 
institutions to Smithsonian collections. 

With K-12 educational endeavors. A third 
partnership mode would extend the reach of the 
Smithsonian to nation-wide efforts to improve education 
in the schools. .As curricula are revised in keeping with 
the voluntary national standards that are being presented 
in various areas such as mathematics, science, and 
history, the Smithsonian has an opportunity to share its 
knowledge and collections in support of cumcular 
changes. .An excellent model is provided by the very 
successful National Science Resources Center, jointly 
operated for almost a decade by the Smithsonian and the 
National Academy of Sciences. Materials of all kinds are 
collected into kits that give teachers interesting, well- 
conceived. and tested bases for particular educational 
aims. With the use of electronic communications, 
particularly images of Smithsonian objects, it is easy to 
see how the concept could be extended to the study of, 
for example. Amencan history. The program should 
mclude training for teachers and the involvement of 
community leaders and parents. Such partnerships hold 
enormous potential for the Smithsonian and could pay 
for themselves. 






(Above) A \isitor to the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum, adjacent to Union Station in Washington, D C. examimnes some of the more 


than 16 milion postage stamps in its collection. 


/"7ys /// -ss'/y -/v?/ 5 


















t ing the FinanciaJ ChaiJ 




O ver the past several decades, the growth 
of the Smithsonian in size and 
complexity has outpaced the resources 
available to sustain the high quality of 
its many and varied programs. Even with the best 
imaginable outcomes, improvement in revenues and 
operating efficiencies will not resolve the financial 
issues facing the Smithsonian. Moreover, continued 
expansion of facilities and programs, even were the 
funds available, is not necessarily the best way to 
assure the Institution's critical role in our nations life. 
There is a point in the growth of institutions when the 
gains measured in increased scope are outweighed by 
increased administrative complexity. The Smithsonian 
simply cannot continue to grow physically, maintain 
its aging buildings, undertake new programs, reinstall 
old and outdated permanent exhibitions, and satisfy 
an increasingly diverse public, not to mention enter 
the information highway. Choices will have to be 
made. 

A significant reshaping of some programs, 
including a decrease in size, is necessary’ if resources 
are to be found for new initiatives that are responsive 
to the changing environment. Difficult decisions will 
be required concerning the balance between facilities 
and programs for education, collections, and research. 
In spite of our strong hope for change, the Institution 
may have to find ways to deal with severe 
governmental restnctions on personnel management 
and organizational frameworks. These realities are 
likely to have profound implications for future plans 
already on the books, for existing programs, and for 
the organization of the Smithsonian itself. 


The Daunting Facts 

Operating budgets. In spite of modestly 
increasing federal appropriations in recent years, the 
Institutions revenues have fallen short of actual and 
reasonable needs. This is because of inflation, 
federally-mandated expenditures such as pay 
increases, and a decrease in revenues from 
Smithsonian activities that depend on a healthy- 
national economy, such as Smithsonian magazine. The 
Institution has responded by significantly decreasing 
staff size and postponing needed improvements to 
facilities. The gap needs to be corrected; it is already- 
threatening the vitality- of the Smithsonian. 

Careful institutional analyses predict that 
requirements for operations at the current level will 
nse from S417 million in 1995 to S509 million by the 
y-ear 2000. If the increased operating costs implied by 
new construction projects already in execution or 
planned are taken into account, the figure rises to 
S541 million by 2000. When, in addition, reasonable 
and modest estimates are made for introducing new 
programs and adapting to the changing environment, 
the figure for the year 2000 nses to S650 million. 
These scenarios do not. however, include sufficient 
funds for new- outreach programs such as venturing 
out on the information highway. 

Correcting the gap will solve only pan of the 
problem. The Institution will be unable to lead the 
nation's cultural and educational development without 
a real increase in available funds. These can be 
generated in only a few ways; increased revenues; 
substantially improved efficiency; and the elimination 


A significant 
reshaping of 
some programs, 
including a 
decrease in 
size, is 
necessary if 
resources are 
to be found for 
new initiatives 
that are 
responsive to 
the changing 
environment. 


(Left) On October 21,1 994, the Amencan Indian Dance Theatre performed at a benefit to celebrate the opening of the George Gustav 
Heve Center of the National Museum of the American Indian in New York. 


/tape 







of programs or facilities. All of these approaches will be 
necessary. An invigorated commitment, in the name of 
the American people, by the Congress and the private 
sector to the role of the Institution in our national life, 
can enhance revenues. Operating efficiencies and 
changes in some aspects of current operating procedures 
to allow more flexibility can provide an additional 
margin of available funds for new projects while at the 
same time improving the management and programs of 
the Institution; some of these changes may require 
legislative action. Finally, the Regents, together with the 
Secretary, the Directors, and the advisory boards will 
need to make difficult decisions about priorities. 

Renovation and restoration. The magnificent 
vista along the Mall hides major needs for renovation and 
restoration of the Smithsonian’s historic buildings. The 
same is true of many of the buildings the Smithsonian 


now owns and operates throughout the United States 
and abroad. Some of these facilities were built early in 
this century. The costs of maintaining them, let alone 
upgrading them to meet modern technical, safety, and 
electronic requirements and the increased numbers of 
visitors, are growing at an impressive rate as the 
buildings age. The deferred maintenance problem is large 
and growing. Without prompt attention to these needs, 
the Institution risks becoming a monument to the past, 
and an aging, dilapidated monument at that. Galleries, 
perhaps whole museums, may have to be closed. The 
precious collections will deteriorate from lack of care and 
safe storage. The country displayed to international 
visitors at our national cultural center will be old- 
fashioned, seedy, and spiritless. 

The costs of maintaining the Institutions many 
buildings will increase as they become more antiquated. 


A Vision of the Smithsonian in 2010 


The most exciting 
development is the new National 
Museum of the American People. 
The Museum is a "place” in 
electronic space, a place that is 

visited daily by people 
across the 
country and 
around the world. Here visitors find 
objects, information, exhibits, and 
varying interpretations derived from 
Smithsonian collections and 
research. Regardless of age or 
interests, there is something here 
for everyone: history, art, music, 
folklore, science, technology, 
natural history, space. Millions of 
images from Smithsonian 
collections are displayed. Each 
visitor can find an unique pathway 
to understanding the significance 
and context of an object. 

Interactive elements permit asking 


questions of Smithsonian staff and 
discussion with experts at the 
Institution and elsewhere. 

The new Museum was 
established through collaborative 
efforts with the Library of 
Congress, the National Gallery of 
Art, and the National Archives, as 
well as leading communications 
companies. For the Smithsonian it 
has meant a renewed and 
enthusiastic national commitment 
to the Institution and its vitality. 

The ease with which the new 
Museum can fulfill diverse interests 
has recruited new visitors, 
including groups of people who 
previously found the Institution of 
little relevance. The new Museum 
also has made a significant 
contribution to the improvement of 
education through special 
programs designed to complement 


school curricula. And the new 
Museum is continually introducing 
people to new aspects of American 
life through the Smithsonian 
Channel on TV. 

Visits to the nation's Mall 
have increased dramatically since 
the establishment of the new 
Museum. People are eager to see 
and experience the real objects that 
they have viewed through 
electronic images. Most 
importantly, people from ethnic and 
racial groups who were previously 
poorly represented among visitors 
are now frequent visitors because 
the new Museum emphasizes their 
inclusion in the fabric of America. 
When they arrive on the Mall, all 
are inspired by the marvelous old 
buildings that are beautifully 
maintained and everyone visits the 
Mali's latest addition, the National 
Museum of the American Indian. 

Scholarship and research at 







A continuing, long-term plan for needed renovations and 
restorations must begin immediately if the costs are to be 
contained in the future. The Institution has done a 
thorough job of identifying needs and estimating costs. A 
total of S50 million dollars each year for the next decade 
would assure that present facilities are restored to the 
point of being safe and appropriate for people and for 
collections. In contrast, the current annual federal 
appropnation of S24 million for repair and restoration 
assures that buildings will deteriorate further. It is easy to 
say that pnvate fund raising should supply the S26 
million difference. However, the experience of people 
who solicit philanthropic donations for other institutions 
attests that private donors are not generous when it 
comes to maintenance, renovation, and repair. The 
Amencan people must ask their representatives in 
Congress to become dedicated supporters of the 


renovation and restoration of our nation's cultural 
institution. Otherwise, the Smithsonian will no longer 
convey to our citizens, or to the world, the image of a 
nation nch in cultural expenence. in natural resources, 
and in its vision for the future. 

Capital budget for new construction. Only one 
new museum building, the National Museum of the 
American Indian, is now planned for the Mall. It is to be 
built with a combination of Federal and private funds, 
and fund-raising is well under way. 

The Museum's Cultural Resources Center and the 
other facilities at Suitland are designed to provide 
modem storage facilities for collections and to assure 
that the buildings on the Mall are, to the greatest extent 
possible, used for public purposes. The Institution has 
other thoughtfully designed plans to extend this 
pnnciple to other facilities. The Commission believes 


the Smithsonian also have been 
dramatically changed by electronic 
data storage and communications, 
as well as by partnerships with 
research centers elsewhere. The 
excellence of its scientists, the 
unique natural history collections at 
their disposal, and the increased 
collaboration with scholars all over 
the world that is facilitated by 
electronic means have contributed 
to the emergence of the Institution 
as the preeminent research facility 



on questions of biodiversity and 
systematic biology. In other areas, 
too, such as music, history, and 
art, the new techniques have 
fostered scholarly exchanges and 
new ways of understanding. In all 
areas, the participation of the 
Smithsonian in the training of 
young scholars is increasing, and 
there is ready access to the now 
well-preserved and cared-for 
collections. 

All over the country, new 
museums are being planned and 
built with the assistance of 
Smithsonian expertise Electronic 
communications helps these 
developments. Even more 
important is the long-term or 
permanent loan of collections of 
significance to local institutions. 


The entire outreach to the 
nation is enhanced by active 
advisory boards to the traditional 
museums, galleries, research 
centers, and the Zoo. Board 
members bring a broad range of 
geographical, ethnic, and 
professional perspectives. 
Altogether, the Smithsonian is 
much more the nation's institution 
than it ever was before. The 
American people and their 
representatives in Congress have 
recognized this change in concrete 
terms. Together, they provide the 
needed resources through private 
donations and tax revenues so that 
the Smithsonian can continue to 
lead the nation in making real its 
motto: e pluribus unum, out of 
many. one. 


The Smithsonian’s Home Page (@ww\wsLedu) 
















The Smithsonian 
should 
essentially 
assume a 
moratorium on 
new museums, 
other than what 
has already 
been approved. 
Over the next 
decade at least, 
capital 
expenditures 
should be for 
improving 
existing 
facilities and 
providing for 
collections 
storage and 
research space 
off the Mall. 


that this is an intelligent and cost-effective approach to 
some of the substantive issues we have already raised. 

Currently authorized plans for capital projects 
through the end of the century include, in addition to 
the National Museum of the American Indian, work on 
the West Court of the National Museum of Natural 
History, and design of an extension to the National Air 
and Space Museum. The annual budgets for these 
projects are projected to rise from $60 million in 1995 to 
$89 million by 1998, declining to $35 million by the 
year 2000 when the current ambitious building program 
nears completion. But if the actual capital needs for 
building maintenance are added in, along with 
provisions for consolidating administrative space and 
additional collections facilities at Suitland, the 1998 
capital budget should be twice the current estimate or 
about $190 million. Finally, if the $50 million we have 
recommended for renovations and restorations annually 
is included and all the aforementioned capital projects 
are approved for construction, the estimate for 1998 
would be $237 million. These numbers are rough 
estimates, but they give some sense of the scale and 
scope of the problem that needs to be faced. 

On the basis of the programmatic issues we have 
already described, as well as the financial realities, 
continued capital expansion in the early decades of the 
next century at the rate experienced over the past three 
decades is out of the question. The Smithsonian should 
essentially assume a moratorium on new museums, 
other than what has already been approved. Over the 
next decade at least, capital expenditures should be for 
improving existing facilities and providing for collections 
storage and research space off the Mall, thereby freeing 
up space for public programs in existing structures. New 
construction should be undertaken only if the funds are 
assured for capital and operating costs. Every effort 
should be made to transfer certain facilities outside of 
the Washington D.C. area to local public or private 
organizations; this approach can be one aspect of the 
building of partnerships with local institutions that has 
been described. 

Sources of Revenue 

The federal budget. Although we recognize the 
constraints, we nevertheless urge that the U.S. 
Government enhance its support of the Institution. Very 
large increases in operating or capital funds are unlikely, 


at least through the coming decade. Nevertheless, some 
enhancement is necessary to assure a vibrant, inclusive 
Institution, to preserve the objects and facilities, and to 
constantly improve understanding of our heritage 
through research. Moreover, the amount of money 
required to attain these objectives is a very small 
proportion of the federal budget, especially if no new 
Smithsonian buildings are constructed except for those 
already approved and new storage facilities. 

Taxpayers now contribute through direct annual 
appropriations about $370 million which corresponds to 
less than $1.50 for each of the 262 million people in the 
country. The Commission found in its study of foreign 
institutions analogous to the Smithsonian—in Canada, 
the United Kingdom, and France—very substantial 
central government support for museums compared to 
the sums provided to the Smithsonian Institution by the 
federal government. In those countries, which are far 
less wealthy than ours, museums are considered 
treasured parts of the national heritage. For example, in 
the United Kingdom, a nation of 60 million inhabitants, 
the government provides about £200 million ($312 
million) a year to the national museums compared to the 
approximately $400 million the Smithsonian and 
associated museums on the Mall receive from the 
government of our nation of 262 million people. 
Important financial differences between the U.S. and 
foreign countnes, including the encouragement of 
private donations by the tax laws in our country; make 
international comparisons difficult. Nevertheless, in the 
context of the federal budget, the additional $125 
million annually that would assure a great future for our 
national cultural institution does not seem excessive. 

We suspect that in our country; deep-seated and 
long-standing skepticism about federal government 
authority in connection with political, cultural, scientific, 
or intellectual enterprises, as well as the detailed 
attention by the Congress to the programs and 
management of the Institution, all contribute to the 
relatively modest federal financial support of the 
Smithsonian. As a Commission, we neither support nor 
criticize these aspects of contemporary' American society; 
the members of the Commission have different views, 
reflecting the diversity of our society. We believe, 
however, that it is important to understand and confront 
these currents if any consideration of the Smithsonian’s 
future is to be realistic. 

Private philanthropy. Private sector funding 


/uz&e far/?// Mr 


neither can nor should substitute for large government 
support of a major institution with a national purpose. 
Nevertheless, supplements to the federal monies from 
private support are and will be essential. We urge 
increased efforts to attract private funds to enhance the 
programs and quality of the staff and exhibitions. Several 
of our recommendations, such as those involving the 
advisory boards, decentralization, and partnerships 
should expand the Institution's connections, build a 
larger base for support, and increase the motivation of 
the staff for fund-raising activities. The Smithsonian 
National Board's Fund for the Future hopes to raise SI00 
to S150 million over the next few years for the 
Smithsonian endowment. The impact of a successful 
campaign on budget projections will be only marginal, 
but the long-term advantages of this fund are substantial 
and the campaign should get full energy It would be 
highly desirable to raise privately as much as S40 to S50 
million annually beyond what is ahead}' raised. This is a 
formidable task but one worth attempting. The 
Institution should consider restructuring its present 
fund-raising approach to optimize its efficiency by 
increasing incentives to the museum staff and to the 
fund-raising professionals. 

Fee or free? Almost without exception, the 
Smithsonian's museums are free to visitors. In other 
countries, national museums that are supported by more 
generous tax revenues often also charge admission fees, 
thereby providing added revenue. Would this be a good 
idea for the Smithsonian? Arguments can be made on 
both sides of the issue. 

We want many more Americans to see the 
Smithsonian as belonging to them, as serving their 
needs. Some of the carbon atoms in the Hope diamond 
belong to each of us. The Spirii of St. Louis is ours. 
Admission charges would dimmish this sense of real 
ownership and perhaps, in the long run. of commitment. 
Besides wanting to foster a sense of public ownership, 
the fact is that the museums do belong to the people; 
should they have to pay to visit what they own? 
Experience in other countries suggests that some people 
stay away w hen museums charge admission. These are 
likely to be people of limited means and limited access 
to cultural and educational institutions, people who 
should be especially welcomed. Foreign visitors, who do 
not support the museums through taxes, would 
probably pay admission fees willingly Indeed, many are 
now surprised at the free entry. They are also impressed. 


Free access is a symbol to foreigners of many of the 
fundamental aspects of American society. 

It is not easy to predict potential net profits from 
admission fees. Among the considerations needed for 
making an estimate are: the loss in numbers of visitors, 
the cost of collecting the entrance fees, decreased 
spending in shops and restaurants by those who visit as 
well as those who no longer visit, and the possibility that 
incremental federal appropriations would be 
jeopardized. 

Some museums in the United States and abroad 
collect voluntary donations from visitors. Collection 
techniques vary from a passive box at the entrance to 
aggressive kiosks, much like those used to collect 
mandator} - fees, stating a suggested donation amount. 
Average donations seem to be about half the suggested 
amount. The Smithsonian has made only very tentative, 
almost half-hearted experiments with these passive 
techniques. Perhaps more effort can be made. The 
amount of money collected will likely be small, but it 
might provide for some special programs at a particular 
museum and help build a sense of participation. 

Imagine, for example, collection boxes at the Zoo that 
say "Buy the Pandas Breakfast", or one at the National 
Portrait Gallery that says "Help us purchase portraits of 
the Astronauts." 

The Commission studied these issues carefully, and 
we expect that the Regents will want to analyze them. 
Overall, the Commission does not support mandatory 
entrance fees. 

Commercial activities. Both administrative 
flexibility, improved efficiency and financial advantages 
might be attained by separating certain commercial 
functions into independent or quasi-independent 
organizations. Museums in the U.K. are having 
significant success with this approach. Such functions as 
computer services, fund-raising, publishing, shops, and 
restaurants might be considered for separation into 
independent organizations. The idea would be for such 
organizations to be staffed by highly competent 
professionals and cover all their own costs, including 
personnel costs. The Under Secretary could provide 
oversight by service on the boards of these organizations. 
In this way the entrepreneurial spirit might enhance the 
financial return to the Institution and still be 
accountable to the public. 


Almost without 
exception, the 
Smithsonian's 
museums are 
free to visitors. 
In other 
countries, 
national 
museums that 
are supported 
by more 
generous tax 
revenues often 
also charge 
admission fees, 
thereby 

providing added 
revenue. Would 
this be a good 
idea for the 
Smithsonian? 
Arguments can 
be made on 
both sides of 
the issue. 


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he Smithsonian's governing structure has 
supported the Institution and provided policy 
guidance for almost 150 years. It has enabled 
the Institution to grow and change as our 
countrv has grown and changed The organization must 
continue to adapt if it is to keep pace with the increasing 
complexity of its mission in the coming decades. 



The Regents 

The Board of Regents is responsible for general 
oversight of the entire Institution and provides advice 
and support for the Secretary as chief executive 
officer. The Regents must thus understand the mission, 
importance, complexity and needs of the Institution 
that they oversee on behalf of the American people. The 
Board's seventeen members, distinguished citizens from 
government and the private sector throughout the 
country currendy meet relatively bnefly three times a 
year: pressure on the time of the ex officio members is 
intense because of their public dudes, and their time as 
Regents must be wisely husbanded. Nonetheless, the 
need for their guidance on polio,- issues, priondes. and 
funding strategies requires their participation to the 
fullest possible extent. 

In view- of the increasing complexity and extent of 
Smithsonian activities, we urge creation of standing 
committees of available Regents to consider 
programmatic, polio: and fiscal concerns. Such 
committees could meet for extended hours at the time 
of regular Regents meetmgs. w hich should be scheduled 
no less than four times a year. We also urge that 
individual Regents interface with one or more of the 
advisory boards to the various Smithsonian components 
in order to exchange informadon and familiarize 


themselves with the personnel, programs, and 
expectations of those boards. 

The Regents have been supporters of the 
Institution in public arenas as advocates for the national 
mterest in the Smithsonian. They should continue these 
activities as they will be especially needed to assure 
adequate financial support and to deal effectively with 
the pressures engendered by the increasing cultural and 
social diversity- of the nation. 


The Advisory Boards 

Some of the museums and other components of 
the Smithsonian have voluntary advisory boards 
appointed by the Regents. In very few cases have the 
Regents given these Boards much responsibility or 
authority .As the Institution has grown, each of the 
components has taken a different approach regarding 
the role of its advisory board. We believe that all the 
major Smithsonian components should have advisory 
boards, and that the membership and authority of these 
boards should be changed to enhance their involvement 
and contribution. .As a consequence, a renewed sense of 
responsibility to the nations Institution among citizens 
from all over the countrv is likelv to emerge. For 
example, the Smithsonian National Board, which serves 
the entire complex, has been reinvigorated to provide a 
more broadly consultative role in many areas, including 
programs, development, and marketing. 

By strengthening all the advisory boards, the 
Institution would gain several important advantages: 
enhanced external expert advice, especially for the 
establishment of policies and assessment of programs; 
increased contacts with similar institutions nation-wide, 
thereby facilitating the formation of partnerships: and 


We believe that 
all the major 
Smithsonian 
components 
should have 
advisory 
boards, and that 
the membership 
and authority of 
th ese boards 
should be 
changed to 
enhance their 
involvement 
and 

contribution. 


(Left) The Castle, the original Smithsonian Institution building was designed b\ James Renwickjr 1818-1895) and constructed on the 
Sanonal Mall in Washington. D.C.. between 184/ and 1855. 






We strongly 
endorse the 
Institution's 
policy off orderly 
decentralization 
with 

accountability 

of 

administrative 
functions and 
urge that it be 
accelerated. 


attraction of outstanding citizens from all over the nation 
to nurture the Institution at the grassroots, including 
through private fund-raising. 

To ensure an important role in governance by the 
advisory boards, we recommend that the Board of Regents 
adopt a statement of their roles and responsibilities. These 
should include substantive tasks such as reviewing and 
monitoring program priorities, annual budgets and strategic 
plans; participating in the selection and evaluation of 
directors; recommending proposed new board members to 
the Regents; fund-raising for the unit; participating in 
outreach and representational activities as appropriate; 
participating in and reviewing the results of external 
evaluations; and reporting to the Regents on a regular basis. 

We recognize that we are adding an additional layer of 
complexity to an already complicated management 
structure. However, the suggestion is consistent with our 
recommendation that follows for strategic decentralization 
of the massive Institution. Unless the advisory boards feel 
that they have an important and useful role in shaping 
performance, it will be impossible to attract highly talented 
leaders to serve on them. It is just such individuals who are 
needed to build a constituency and raise the private funds 
necessary to sustain Smithsonian components as world- 
class institutions. Strong boards also will enable the 
Smithsonian to attract outstanding people to directorships 
and will encourage a creative, entrepreneurial spirit 
throughout the museum and research organizations. 

The Secretary and the Organization 

The Secretary has overall responsibility for the 
programs, management, and finances of what is a 
remarkably complex entity. In its governance the 
Smithsonian faces many of the pressures of a government 
agency, including dependence on Congress for most of its 
budget, and those of a non-profit enterprise. It needs to 
establish priorities among many valued and competing 
objectives. It needs to respond to and manage such 
commercial opportunities as product licensing and book 
and magazine publishing. It needs to pursue private 
contributions aggressively in competition with all the other 
outstanding non-profit organizations that contribute so 
much to American society. 

Most museums in our country and abroad stand as 
independent institutions, not as conglomerates like the 
Smithsonian. Each of the Smithsonian’s major museums is 
of the size and complexity of an independent institution. 


Thus, like a large public university, the Smithsonian has 
multiple departments and functions, a dependence on 
both public appropriations and private fund-raising, and 
the need to strike a balance between research on the one 
hand and public contact activities on the other. If anything, 
the job of managing the Smithsonian is even more 
complex than that of running a public university because 
of the immense diversity of Smithsonian units, their 
missions, and their relationships to the central 
administration. 

Built into any system this complex is a constant 
tension between central control and unit autonomy, 
between central priorities and local opportunities and 
agendas. When times are good and an institution can solve 
problems by rapid expansion as the Smithsonian did during 
the 1960s and 1970s, many of these tensions can be 
overlooked. When money is tight and numerous tradeoffs 
are required, such tensions are exacerbated. 

The Commission examined internal organizational 
structures and considered whether they were optimal for 
the coming decades. In particular, we were concerned with 
the appropriate balance of responsibility between the 
Secretary and the central administrative staff and the 
directors of individual components, and with the special 
considerations arising from the Institutions unique situation 
in deriving funds from both private and federal sources. 

Centralization and Decentralization 

There is broad agreement that decentralization of 
decision-making authority is desirable in the relationship 
between the Smithsonian’s central administration and the 
units. As is the case in any organization where diverse 
departments are headed and staffed by men and women 
with professional training in different fields, the more 
autonomous the local decision-makers, the better the 
resulting decisions, at least if one can assume shared values 
and overall goals. These ideas have actually been the policy 
of the Smithsonian administration for several years. We 
strongly endorse the Institution's policy of orderly 
decentralization with accountability of administrative 
functions and urge that it be accelerated. 

Aspects of decentralization. Several considerations 
are essential in determining the nature and extent of 
decentralization. The most important of these concerns the 
effect of excessive centralization on the attractiveness of 
directorships. Nothing is more important to the success of 
the Smithsonian’s core programs than the excellence of the 


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directors. These people should have outstanding leadership 
qualities, both in administration and in the relevant 
substantive field. They must be visionary, strong, and 
mdependent. To build great institutions thev must be seen 
to be, and mdeed be m charge. If too much of the decision¬ 
making authonty for policies and day-to-day functions 
resides centrally, it will always be difficult to attract men and 
women with such qualities to undertake directorships. 
Another important element m determining the nature and 
extent of decentralization is a weighing of the costs and 
benefits of standardization against the potential pavoffs 
from local initiatives, recognizing that these may be 
qualitatively different and thus difficult 
to compare. It is also essential to 
understand that units will vary m their 
capacity and inclination to take on 
additional administrative funcnons. 

Effective decentralized 
management requires readily available 
information and modem 
computerized financial systems. Thus, 
a key task of the central administration 
is to provide detailed, high-quality 
financial information to the directors on a timely basis. The 
units need, for example, adequate financial information for 
making difficult decisions about what they should 
accomplish with in-house staff or procure from outside 
organizations and faciliues. Economic pressures should 
place a premium on realistic pncing of centrally-supplied 
services. We strongly endorse the administration's policy to 
make greater use of charge-backs for centrally-provided 
services. However, the benefits of this policy- will only 
accrue when the units are free to secure services through 
contract providers if thev- deem advantageous the quality of 
the product and the cost-effectiveness of so doing; we 
strongly recommend adoption of such a policy. In the long 
run these policies may lead to the abandonment of some 
traditionally in-house services, an outcome that is not 
necessarily bad. In other instances, technical expertise 
lodged in a particular unit could be made available to other 
components on a contractual basis. 

Many of the most difficult administrative decisions 


regarding revenue-generaung commercial opportunities pit 
the legitimate interests of the central administration against 
the equally legitimate interests of unit directors. Central 
administration wants to guide the development of product 
licensing and other commercial opportunities to control the 
quality of products bearing the Smithsonian impnnt and to 
use the revenues generated for high pnority ends across the 
Institution. The museum directors want to control the use 
of their collections according to their own professional 
standards and expertise and to gam a share of the financial 
benefits from such commercial ventures. Clearly, the 
Smithsonian needs to balance these interests. Policies that 
motivate museum staff to develop 
products based on the collections about 
which they are uniquely knowledgeable, 
while still permitting central 
administration to cany out its legitimate 
oversight and stewardship obligations are 
required. The center's goal should be to 
provide product development services of 
such high quality that the units will see 
them as m their own mterest to use. 

In general, we recommend that the 
Institution adopt a philosophy that activities be 
decentralized unless there is a strong and compelling reason 
to have them centralized. The burden of proof should be on 
those who favor centralization. 

Role of the central administration. Certain 
responsibilities must remain with the central 
administration. Of great importance is the articulation of a 
broad vision for the Institution, the effective 
communication of that vision to the Smithsonian's various 
consutuencies. and the development of strategies and 
pnonties to guide the museums m developing their plans. 
Equally important is the central administrations 
responsibility to attract and select the very best people to 
direct the museums and research institutes. 

The center must also make decisions about the 
allocation of human and financial resources among the 
components, and provide quality control through the 
setting of standards, oversight of mdependent review- 
processes, and consultation with the advisory boards. 



( Abo\e) The turbulent , seething corona. or hot upper atmosphere far above the Sun's surface, is m ealed in this extremely high-resolution 
x-ray image from a Smithsonian/IBM camera aboard a rocket launched in 1991 from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. 






Other important central functions include 
maintaining relations with Congress and the Executive 
Branch, ensuring compliance with laws and regulations, 
and coordinating major fund-raising activities in the 
private sector. 

The federal connection. U S. Government- 
imposed limitations on the Smithsonian’s ability to 
manage itself, to reduce or expand programs, units, or 
personnel, or to decentralize organizationally are a major 
factor in limiting institutional flexibility in a changing 
society. The problem cannot be underestimated. 

Many current federal rules regarding personnel and 
procurement practices inhibit otherwise sensible and 
desirable moves toward decentralization and efficiency. 
Fortunately, the federal government is currently engaged 
in a program to "reinvent government.” Many of the 
recommendations of the National Performance Review 
report on this subject would, if adopted, help to resolve 
some of the difficult issues facing the Smithsonian. 
Nevertheless, with or without progress elsewhere in the 
government, we cannot emphasize strongly enough how 
important administrative reform—in particular, personnel 
reform—is to the future ability of the Institution to 
administer its operations rationally and cost-effectively. 
Because of the small size of the Smithsonian compared to 
many federal agencies, its public-private nature, and its 
unique function within the federal system, it is a good 
testing ground for the new ideas. We strongly urge the 
Regents to engage relevant federal officials with the intent 
of obtaining permission for the Institution to experiment 
with some of the proposals in this area in order to make 
its administration more responsive to the Smithsonian’s 
complexity and the changing nation it serves. Thus, a 
major role of the central administration should be to 
institute human resources management systems that serve 
the need to attract the highest calibre of professional staff 
in competition with private sector organizations. 
Developing a system that meets these needs is already, and 
should be, an extremely high priority. The Commission 
strongly endorses the Smithsonian's ongoing effort to gain 
the needed administrative flexibility. 

Assuring Quality 

Assessment. The Smithsonian has extended and 
varied procedures for assessing the excellence of its own 
activities. In the decades to come, because of the expected 
rate of change in the social, cultural, and scientific lives of 


the nation, such assessments should continue, be 
expanded, and occur at regular intervals. The complexity 
of the various Smithsonian activities makes this a 
formidable challenge, and one that cannot be met by a 
single approach. Different mechanisms are appropriate for 
assessing management at various levels and in varying 
functions such as research, collections management, 
exhibitions, educational programs, fund-raising activities, 
and commercial ventures. Some evaluations will need to 
be carried out on short time scales as, for example, with 
exhibitions that are planned to start on certain dates. A 
decentralized approach will have to be adopted. 
Nevertheless, there are a few elements that should be 
basic to all assessments. All evaluations of the Institution’s 
activities will be more useful if the evaluating groups are 
composed primarily of people from outside the unit being 
examined; the evaluators could be from other 
Smithsonian divisions or from outside the Institution, 
depending on particular situations. The purpose of the 
assessments is to inform those responsible for the 
particular activity and should, to be most effective, be 
confidential. 

Review. There is need for another kind of 
accountability that arises from the Smithsonian’s position 
as the nation’s museum complex within the federal 
system. The tension existing within the institution 
regarding how it responds to the public, the Congress, 
and the media regarding controversial exhibits encourages 
conservatism and a low tolerance for risk. Too often the 
Institution finds itself caught between the conflicting 
views, and even demands, of diverse population groups, 
scholars, and politicians. As the nation’s cultural 
institution in a diverse society, the Smithsonian inevitably 
finds itself at the center of national debates and political 
disputes. Modem communications bring the consequent 
tensions to the fore, often to a high pitch. Together, the 
staff, the Secretary, the Regents, and the Congress should 
find ways to foster a sense of national purpose at the 
Smithsonian that would include the display of a diversity 
of views, without reducing the Institution either to 
portraying a bland view of our lively, questioning national 
scene or encouraging dispute rather than dialogue. 

In this connection, it w'ould be helpful to have clear, 
consistent institutional procedures for rigorous review and 
advice on major new exhibits. Such advice and review 
could help ensure the quality and balance of exhibits and 
programs likely to be controversial, as well as the 
independence of the staff responsible for the activities. 




Conclusion 


If" 


nowledge and culture are inherently diverse. As it has in the past, so in the future wall the Smithsonian 


ke its contnbution to our nation by recognition of its remarkable diversity It is a happenstance of 


history that the nation's capital is the site of this unique Institution which exists because of a luck)- and glorious 


accident—James Smithsons gift. Parts of the Smithsonian are the result of other generous gifts—the Freer and 


Sackler Galleries, the Hirshhom Museum. We expect that other magnificent gifts will be made in future, but the core 


of support for the Smithsonian's efforts must be from the nation's people—by appropriations and contributions. 


Our nation is now settled from the Atlantic to the Pacific and beyond to Hawaii, from Alaska to the Gulf of 


Mexico, from the Canadian to the Mexican borders. The nation's future growth and vitality therefore, will come from 


our resources—human and natural—not from expansion of our land. So. too. the Smithsonian's future expansion 


should be in novel programs rather than in new real estate. Our modem world offers ways to do this that past 


generations could not imagine. By using them the Smithsonian will assure its vital role as teacher, recorder, and 


/lOCfe 


shaper of a vibrant national outlook 


The Smithsonian at a Glance 


T he Smithsonian is Americas preeminent cultural institution. Its museums preserve, study, and present our 
cultural and scientific heritage through the vast collections that they hold in trust for the nation. The 
Smithsonian is also a leading research center for the arts, history, and science, with facilities in the District 
of Columbia, eight states, and the Republic of Panama. 


Smithsonian Exhibitions 

attract millions of people each year. 

■ 16 museums, galleries, and the 
National Zoo. 

■ 29 million visits each year. 

■ Free admission to all exhibitions. 

Smithsonian Education and 
Outreach Programs 

serve millions more in and beyond 

Washington, D.C. 

■ Smithsonian Associates: 2.1 
million members benefit from 
study tours, seminars, courses, 
and Smithsonian magazine. 

■ Museum membership programs: 
National Air & Space Museum; 
Cooper-Hewitt; National 
Museum of the American Indian; 
National Museum of American 
Art; and the National Zoo. 

■ Performances, lectures, seminars, 
courses, workshops, films, 
concerts, and tours for members 
and the public. 


■ Traveling Exhibition Sendee 
(SITES): more than 100 
exhibitions reach 10 million 
viewers each year across America 
and overseas. 

■ Electronic media technologies 
include television and radio 
programming; online sendees 
and digital consumer products 
have been initiated. 

■ 120 books and recordings 
produced each year by 
Smithsonian Institution Press, 
Smithsonian Recordings, and 
Folkways Records. 

■ Smithsonian Archives and the 
Smithsonian Libraries respond to 
more than 70,000 reference 
requests each year. 

■ 18 elementary science 
curriculum kits developed and 
distributed in 62 school districts 
in 35 states, the District of 
Columbia, Canada, and Mexico. 

Smithsonian Collections 

preserve unique records of art, 

history, and plant and animal life. 

■ Total number of objects is 
estimated at more than 140 
million. 

■ 120 million objects and 
specimens are in the National 
Museum of Natural History. 


■ More than 16 million postage 
stamps and related objects are at 
the National Postal Museum. 

Smithsonian Research 

utilizes the Institutions collections 

and extends to scholarly work in 

many fields. 

■ Tropical and marine stations in 
Panama, Florida, and on 
Chesapeake Bay. 

■ Conservation of endangered 
species at the National Zoological 
Park. 

■ Astrophysics and the origin of 
the Universe at the Smithsonian 
Astrophysical Observatory. 

■ Basis of museum exhibitions in 
art, history, music, technology, 
and science. 

■ Results reflected in more than 
1,000 books and articles each 
year. 

■ Fellowships for 77 visiting 
students and scholars in 1994. 




Smithsonian Facts atid 
Figures 


■ Established in 1846 through the 
generosity of James Smithson, the 
English scientist who had 
bequeathed to the United States 
his fortune "for the increase and 
diffusion of knowledge among 
men." 

■ Governance: Board of Regents 
consisting of 17 members, 
including the Chief Justice, the 
Vice President. 3 Members of the 
Senate. 3 Members of the House 
of Representatives, and 9 private 
citizens. 

■ 6,700 employees and 5,200 
volunteers. 

■ Economic impact on the 
Washington. D C. metropolitan 
area estimated at S6.7 billion 
annually. 

■ Endowment of S378 million as of 
September 30. 1994. 

■ FY 1994 net operating budget 
S421.4 million. 


Sources of Operating Funds FY 1994 
(S in millions) 


Federal Appropriations 
71.7% S302.3 


Saes/Membership 
3.4% SI 4.1 


Private Gifts/Grants/Contracts 
7 6% S32.2 


Other Income 
2 .1% S8 8 


Investment Income 
4.3% Si 8.3 


Government Research Grants and 
Contracts 10 9% S45 7 



Total = S421 .4 


Uses of Operating Funds by Function FY 1 994 
(S in millions) 


Research/Curation 42 5% Si 79.1 


Technical Support 3.3% Si4.0 


Exhip tions 8.6% S36 2 


Education/Reiated Activities 
6.1% S25.7 


Safety & Security 7.7% S32 4% 


Building Maintenance and — 
Plant Services 18 6% S78 4 



Administration and Miscellaneous 
13.2% S55.6 


dt/s'/ly -/fa 


Total = S421 4 
















The Smithsonian at a Glance (continued) 


Components of the Smithsonian Institution 

MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES: 

Anacostia Museum 

(African American history and culture of 
Washington, D.C. and the Upper South), 
Washington, D.C. 

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery 

(Asian and Near Eastern art), Washington, D.C. 

Arts and Industries Building, Washington, D.C. 
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, 

New York, N.Y. 

Freer Gallery of Art (Asian art), Washington, D.C. 
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden 
(Modern art), Washington, D.C. 

National Air & Space Museum, Washington, D.C. 
National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C. 
National Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C. 
National Museum of American History, 

Washington, D.C. 

National Museum of the American Indian, 

New York, N.Y. 

National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. 
National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C. 

National Postal Museum, Washington, D.C. 

National Zoological Park, Washington, D.C. 

Renwick Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. 

Smithsonian Institution Building 
(“The Castle”), Washington, D.C. 


RESEARCH FACILITIES: 

Archives of American Art 

(American art documents and memorabilia); 
regional centers in Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, 
New York, and Washington, D.C. 

Conservation Analytical Laboratory 

(Conservation and study of museum objects), 
Suitland, Md. 

National Zoological Park Conservation and Research 
Center (Rare animal breeding, conservation 
ecology), Front Royal, Va. 

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory 

(Astronomy and astrophysics), Cambridge, Mass. 

— Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory and Multiple 
Mirror Telescope, Mt. Hopkins, Ariz. 

— Submillimeter Telescope Array at Westford, Mass, 
and Mauna Kea, Hawaii 

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center 

(Ecology of the Chesapeake Bay), Edgewater, Md. 

Smithsonian Institution Marine Station at Link Port 
(Estuarine and marine environments) 

Fort Pierce, Fla. 

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute 

(Tropical forest preserve and research center), 
Republic of Panama. 




Credits 


The work of the Commission was made possible by grants from the John D. and Cathenne T. NlacArthur 


Foundation and the Andrew W Mellon Foundation. The Commission is grateful to the foundations for their 


generosity and their commitment to the future of this venerable Institution. 


E Pluribus Unum: This Divine Paradox , was inspired by Twyla Tharp, the dancer and choreographer whose 1994 
summer residency at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts led to a new work of the same name that 
she introduced there on September 24, 1994. Ms. Tharp has graciously granted permission to use that phrase, 
which the Commission believes embraces so well the nature, challenges, and richness of the Smithsonian, as the title 
of this report. 


DESIGN AND PRODUCTION 

Linda S. Sherman Design. Inc. 

Gaithersburg, Maryland 

PHOTOS 

Chip Clark, SI: page 3 
Leon Golub. SAO: page 31 
(C) 1995, Red Grooms/Artist 
Rights Society: page 16 
A.F. Harrell, SI: page 4 
Franko Khoury, NMAfA: page 2 
NASA: page 12 
Dane Penland. SI: page 5 
Charles Phillips. SI: facmg page 1 
and pages 6, 13, 14, 20, 21 
Michael H. Robinson. NZP: page 9 
T. Sato: page 8 

Rudolph Schild/Thomas Stevenson. 

SAO: page 10 
R. Strauss, SI: page 15 
Jeff Tinsley, SI: pages 18 and 22 
Courtesy of Turner Entertainment 
Co.: page 19 


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

For additional copies of this report or 
for information about the 
Smithsonian Institution, please 
contact the Office of Public Affairs, 
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, 
D C 20560 The report is also 
available on the Smithsonian's W'orld 
Wide Web site (@www si edu). 


LC ACQUISITIONS 


0 043 267 595 



Smithsonian Institution 

Washington, D.C. 20560 




















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